Friday, 15 May 2015

Garren clothing

The garren have a crest down their back, from between the eyes to the tip of the tail. This argues with clothes, but craftsmen have long found solutions.
Garren shirts and trousers have straps sewn on to go over the crest's dips. Stiff, backless shirts are held up by the sleeves, or are worn with a ring on the neck and another around the waist. Garren can have the crest slit to fit fasteners through, or have it pierced with a knobbed fastener to tie clothing to; this is usually done by hairdressers. Buttons can be glued to either side of the crest with strong resin, and wearers may need help buttoning up. And of course, some simply wear pull-over clothes; when made of heavy fabric, they weigh the skinny crest down.
Trousers are cut to allow room for the tail but have some excess down the tail to cover the buttocks thoroughly; some regional costumes enclose the entire tail. Garren clothes are more expensive when they are snug fits.

"These tail bags are nicely warm."
— Badhea, traveller

Aesthetically, a standup crest is sightlier as well as more comfortable, and well-tailored dresses are prettier than bulging backs. Garren much prefer warmth, and cold regions sport special makes that enclose the crest separately. Morégar have it easier, with straps that fit right between the separate spikes. In general, since the garren are changeably colourful and care for aesthetics, sufficient garren population means the traditional dress takes their needs into account.

Artist's notesI've had discussions about my lizard people wearing normal clothes, with trousers and shirts despite their crests. My argument stands; if the dominant culture says to wear clothes, you will wear whatever keeps you warm and decent - what's the point of looks when you die of cold?

1 comment:

I think that makes sense. If you have a society that's all Garren, then sure, the clothing will be Garren-specific and they may just go topless. (Demands of modesty in that regard would likely be less stringent for reptiles, after all.)

But if they're living in a mixed society with other races (as most Genius Loci races seem to do) then there are going to be community standards of what kinds of clothes one is expected to wear. There might not be rigid rules in most communities, but there will be some central tendencies.

Besides, clothing that doesn't seem quite right for the bodies it's made to adorn is something we see plenty of in our all-human society. Take high heels, for instance. In a multi-species society, I think there would be more of this, as fashions will be designed for one kind of body but then other species will want to try them out as well.

(Actually, now that I think of it, high heels could make more sense here than in our world. You can explain them as an imitation of fashions worn by creatures with digitigrade feet.)

About Me

Ranarh is the artistic alias of sci-fi/fantasy painter, illustrator, and concept artist Jennifer S. Lange. She enjoys spaghetti, lightsabers, and jellyfish. Jennifer lives in northern Germany with her fiancè and a blackbird.